LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - A group of European Union scientists
has warned against a planned reduction in the number of
pesticides allowed in the EU, claiming this could increase
resistance of pests and make crop cultivation uncompetitive.

"The scientists from seven countries fear that reducing the
available range of pesticides could lower their efficiency as
it is likely that it will increase resistance," they said in a
statement received by Reuters late on Tuesday.

They said the increased risk of developing resistance to
the few remaining substances could make cultivation of many
crops, including grapes, wheat, barley, cotton, fruit, potatoes
and vegetables in Europe, uncompetitive.

"In order to safeguard the production of food at affordable
prices, it is essential to provide farmers with access to
sufficient diversity of crop protection solutions," the
scientists' spokesman Ian Denholm from the UK's Rothamsted
Research institute, said in the statement.

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"This is essential to prevent or delay the development of
resistant pests, and to maintain the efficacy of remaining crop
protection products," he added.

The scientists presented their appeal to Slovenia's
Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc as Slovenia holds the rotating
six-month presidency of the EU.

The European Commission started a pesticide revision
process in 2006 while the European parliament in October 2007
pushed for further restrictions which could lead to a loss of
between 70 to 85 percent of the remaining substances.

The EU's Council of Ministers aim to reach a political
agreement on the matter in May.

At present around 250 pesticides are allowed in the EU,
Andrej Simoncic, director of the Agricultural Institute of
Slovenia, told Reuters.

Scientists claim the reduction of pesticides could lead to
lower crop yields and higher food prices which have already
contributed to a hike in inflation in the EU over the past
year.

In March, inflation in the EU rose to 3.8 percent from 2.3
percent a year ago.